A's Report.

The A's find themselves entering the dog days of summer with a suprising record considering the way the offense has performed this season. Giambi has not been a factor this season. After 87 games Giambi is hitting .216 with 16 homeruns. Ibanez also is having a horrible year at the plate hitting .237 with 12 homeruns. Ibanez has driven in 45 which leads the A's. The offense is being saved by Giles and Catalanotto who are not knocking the cover off the ball but have been a steady force in the lineup. The pitching is starting to show signs of fatigue as Brandon Webb has seen his hot start erased as he now sports a 5.10 Era. Spot starters Sosa and Wolf have not helped relieve the staff as both have Era's in the 6.00+ range. The A's do you have a suprising 44-43 record considering their offense. The defense has been excellent and the pitching has kept them in ballgames. Isringhausen has been perfect as he has not allowed a run and has 19 saves. Ligtenberg and Bradford have been reliable setup men. J. Schmidt has not had the run support, but he has pitched well in his starts. Hudson and Zambrano are giving the A's quality innings. The A's have played in 25 one run games which goes to show that if their offense would start to produce they might be able put together a nice run at the playoffs.